Abstract
Disney’s Hercules (1997) includes multiple examples of gender tropes throughout the film that provide a hodgepodge of portrayals of traditional conceptions of masculinity and femininity. Hercules’ phenomenal strength and idealized masculine body, coupled with his decision to relinquish power at the end of the film, may have resulted in a character lacking resonance because of a hybridization of stereotypically male and female traits. The film pivots from hypermasculinity to a noncohesive male identity that valorizes the traditionally-feminine trait of selflessness. This incongruous mixture of traits that comprise masculinity and femininity conflicts with stereotypical gender traits that characterize most Disney princes and princesses. As a result of the mixed messages pertaining to gender, Hercules does not appear to have spurred more progressive portrayals of masculinity in subsequent Disney movies, showing the complexity underlying gender stereotypes.
Highlights
Disney’s influence in children’s entertainment has resulted in the scrutiny of gender stereotypes in its films (Do Rozario 2004; Dundes et al 2018; England et al 2011; Giroux and Pollock 2010)
As a result of the mixed messages pertaining to gender, Hercules does not appear to have spurred more progressive portrayals of masculinity in subsequent Disney movies, showing the complexity underlying gender stereotypes
As a result of these flaws, Disney neither challenges gender tropes nor presents a revised version of masculinity that is likely to resonate with viewers, who must transcend a surfeit of cultural cues that valorize unambiguous hypermasculinity, such as the type embodied by Maui in Moana (2016)
Summary
Disney’s influence in children’s entertainment has resulted in the scrutiny of gender stereotypes in its films (Do Rozario 2004; Dundes et al 2018; England et al 2011; Giroux and Pollock 2010). While Hercules is comparable to Tarzan (1999)—another non-princess film released in a similar time period—Tarzan’s gross proceeds have topped $170 million. Both of these films, pale in comparison to the monetary success of the most recent Disney princess movie, Moana, with a lifetime gross of almost $250 million after just two years (Box Office Mojo 2018a, 2018b, 2018c), one barometer of the films’ success. 1997—and perhaps too progressive even more than 20 years later in 2018, judging from the subsequent and recent portrayals of Disney’s male heroes In this analysis of Hercules, the title superhero exemplifies what seems to be a relatively early attempt by Disney to reconceive masculinity. As a result of these flaws, Disney neither challenges gender tropes nor presents a revised version of masculinity (see Macaluso 2018) that is likely to resonate with viewers, who must transcend a surfeit of cultural cues that valorize unambiguous hypermasculinity, such as the type embodied by Maui in Moana (2016)
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